Recording protector for safe locks and other objects



E. 5. PHELPS E LOCKS AND OTHER OBJECTS RECORDING PROTECTOR FOR SAF Filed Sept. '7 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 HE -mg 4 Aug. 5 1924.

1,504,138 E. s. PHELPS RECORDING PROTECTOR FOR SAFE LOCKS AND OTHER OBJECTS Filed Sept. '7 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 g figwvemizi Patented Aug. 5, 1924.

UNITED STATES EDWIN SANFORD PHELPS, OF MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY.

RECORDING PROTECTOR FOR SAFE LOCKS AND OTHER OBJECTS.

Application filed September 7, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN S. PHnLrs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Montclair, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Recording Protectors for Safe Locks and Other Objects; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a .part of this specification.

My invention relates to safes having a lock for the safe-door which may be of the type employing a dial-knob for shifting the lock-tumblers in locking and unlocking the safe door. It has for its object to provide 'a construction wherein will be made a record of locking or unlocking, or both, the

safe door; and it involves a cap or cover clearly defined by the claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and in which-- Figure 1 is a front elevation representing a safe door with the covering plate or cap applied and the receiving mechanism, casing in vertical section;

Figure 2 is a plan of Figure 1 with the covering plate or cap and lower portion of the recording mechanism and casing in horizontal section;

, Figure 3 is a front elevation of a safe door, with the covering plate or cap in closed position and the front of the recording mechanism closed;

/ Figure 4 is a plan view of Figure 8, with the covering plate or cap shown open, in dotted lines, and closed in full lines.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates Serial No. 661,486.

a safe-door provided with a dial-knob or member Qifor operating the tumblers of a safe-lock of any approved form and therefore not necessary to be illustrated in detail. The covering plate or cap for the safe-lock tumbler operating member or dial-knob in the preferred form, as illustrated, consists of a cover-plate or cap 3, preferably of the conical form shown, having a rearwardly extending arm l hinged by a pintle 5 to a leaf-plate 6 which will be attached to the safe-door by machine bolts (not shown) tapped into the safe-door and having heads which lie in openings 7 inthe leaf-plate (there being as many openings as there are machine bolts used) reamed oif so that the bolts cannot be removed except by drilling. The covering plate or cap is connected by a link 8 to a sliding member 9, the link being pivot-ally connected at one end to ears 10 on the arm 4 and at the other end pivotally connected to the sliding member as illustrated, so that when member 9 is moved .in one direction, say to the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cover-plate or cap will be moved from over the safe-lock tu1nbler operating means, say the knob-dial, for instance to the position indicated in l and 2,. so that access may be had to safelock tumbler operating means for either unlooking or looking the safe-lock; and when the sliding member is moved in the opposite direction, say to the position indicated in full lines in Figures 3 and 4c, the coverplate or cap will be moved over the safe-lock tumbler operating means, for instance the dial-knob, so as to prevent access to the same and thus guard or shield it against manipulation during such time. The movement of the sliding: member for actuation of the cover-plate or cap is key or look controlled so that the cover-plate or cap may be locked in its closed or its open position, and with this look control mechanism is associated suitable recording mechanism so that a record is made of the manipulatitm of the cover-plate or cap for access to the safe-lock operating means. Suitable lock control and recording mechanism. is illustrated but the invention is not limited to such particular mechanism. The mechanism illustrated comprises in general a recording dial 11, a stylus 12 for marking thereon, a lever 13 actuated in the movement of the sliding member for causing the stylus to mark on the dial the movement of the sliding member back and forth, and a tnmblerlock key receiving hub 1 1 for the key used to actuate or slide the member 9, said elements and their associated parts and their operation corresponding substantially to the lock-bolt and recording mechanism illus trated in Patent No. 1,373,204 granted to me March 29, 1921, for recording time lock, and therefore not needing more detailed illustration and description herein. The recording mechanism and sliding member will be suitably supported from a supporting plate or member 15 which will be secured by machine bolts to the safe-door and the heads of the bolts then reamed off so that they cannot be removed except by drilling, and the whole will be enclosed in a suitable shell or casing 16 and having a hinged door 17 for instance as shown in my mentioned Patent N 0. 1,873,204 of March 29, 1921.

I have illustrated and described the invention as applied to a safe-door having a tumbler or permutation lock for protecting the lock and making a record, indirectly, of the manipulation of the lock for opening and closing the safe, but the device can be applied for protecting or shielding other elements to prevent unauthorized manipulation of the same and for making a record of the actuation of the shield to permit access to the element to be operated.

In operation, assuming that the coverplate or cap is over and concealing the tumbler or permutation lock manipulation means, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawing, an appropriate key is inserted in the tumbler lock forming a. part of the recording mechanism, and the key turned so as to retract the sliding member 9 which exerts a pull through link 8 on the coverplate or cap so as to swing the latter on its pivot and from over the safe tumbler or permutation lock as illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 so that the latter may be manipulated and release the safe-bolt foropening the safe-door, such act being recorded by the recording mechanism. lVhen the combination of the permutation lock has been set for throwing the bolt of the safe to open the safe, the cover-plate or cap is thrown over the permutation lock by ejecting the sliding member by the operating key which will swing the cover plate or cap into its covering position and a record of the act will be made on the recording dial of the recording mechanism. It will be understood that the recording dial is continuously rotated by suitable clock mechanism and the marker or pointer describes a. spiral line on the face of the dial by reason of the snail acting on the marker arm as described in my mentioned Patent No. 1,373,204, so that every time the sliding member 9 is moved the marker will inscribe a radial or lateral marking on the dial which read in connection with the spiral line and time divisions on the dial will indicate the hour and fraction of hour when the cover-plate or cap was moved into covering or uncovering position. This in effect converts a safe of standard type into a time-lock safe. The recording dial accordingly contains a record of every movement of the covering-plate or cap to permit actuation of the permutation lock to form or destroy the combination controlling operation of the locking bolt of the safe. To destroy the combination of the permutation lock the cap must be thrown back again into its uncovering position, and when the combination has been destroyed the cap is again thrown back into its covering position, always by movement of the sliding member by use of the operating key, If the combination be set for throwing the safe bolt and the cap be thrown to cover the permutation lock and the safe-door be opened without movement of the cover-. plate or cap it evidences that the safe was not properly locked either through carelessness, or otherwise.

So far as I have knowledge, this is the first device embodying a cover-plate or cap designed to cover and uncover a permutation lock, or other element to be protected, and operatively associated with recording mechanism for making a record of movement of the plate or cap to covering and uncovering position.

I have illustrated and described the preferred details of the several essential parts but changes can be made therein and certain essential features retained.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits what I claim is:

1. The combination with an element to be covered, of a movable cover for the element, a mechanically operable member connected with the cover to move it relatively to the covered element, and recording mechanism connected with the operable member for making a record of the movement of the cover to covering and also to uncovering positions.

2. The combination with a safe lock, of a. movable cover for a part of the lock, an

operable member connected with the cover to move it relatively to the part of the lock'to be covered, and recording mechanism connected with the operable member for making a record of the movement of the cover to covering and also to uncovering positions.

3. The combination with an element to be covered, of a hinged cover for the element, a mechanically operable member connected with the cover to swing it relatively to the covered element, and recording mechanism connected with the operable member for making a record of the movement of the cover. a

4. The combination with an element to be covered, of a hinged cover for the element,

an operable member pivotally connected with the cover to swing it relatively to the covered element, and recording mechanism connected with the operable member for making a record of the movement of the cover.

5. The combination with an element to be covered, of a hinged cover for the element, a key-operable member pivotally connected with the cover to swing it relatively to the covered element, and recording mechanism connected with the operable member for making a record of the movement of the cover.

6. The combination with an element to be covered, of a hinged cover for the element, a slidable key-operable member for swinging the cover relatively to the covered element, a link connecting the slidable memher and cover, and, recording mechanism for making a record of the movement of the cover.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWVIN SANFORD PHELPS.

"Witnesses LoUIs A. FLACH, THEODORE C. ULBRIOHS. 

